The top two teams from each group will secure automatic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will move on to the fourth round of the qualifiers.

The Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced on Tuesday that Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium will host Qatar’s opening match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Set to take place on September 5th, Qatar takes on the UAE, which topped the first of its group in the second round of the World Cup Qualifiers. 

Besides the UAE, Qatar will compete in Group A alongside Iran, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and North Korea.

The 2023 AFC Champions will continue their World Cup qualifying campaign with a series of crucial matches after their opener against the UAE. 

Qatar will play their second qualifying match away against North Korea on September 10th. 

Following that, they will host the Kyrgyz Republic on October 10th before traveling to Tehran for an away match against Iran on October 15th. 

Qatar will wrap up the first round of group matches on November 14th, when it plays Uzbekistan at home.

All eyes will be on Iran and Uzbekistan as they dominated the AFC Asian Cup held earlier this year in Qatar. 

With a roster brimming with talent, including stars like Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Iran’s national team is poised for a vengeful campaign against Qatar. 

The squad, widely regarded as one of the most promising in the region, will look to prove itself after Qatar eliminated it from the AFC Asian Cup championship.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan completed the second round of the FIFA 2026 qualifiers unbeaten, including two hard-fought draws against Iran. 

In the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals, they proved their grit by forcing Qatar into a penalty shootout before ultimately being defeated. 

Qatar’s road to 2026 

Unbeaten in the group-stage matches, the Maroons led their initial group with 16 points, securing five wins and one draw.

Their campaign featured dominant victories over Afghanistan, India, and Kuwait.

Qatar then secured their place in the third and final round of the World Cup qualifiers and qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which Saudi Arabia will host. 

To make it to the 2026 World Cup, the top two teams from each group will secure automatic qualification, while the third and fourth-placed teams will move on to the fourth round of the qualifiers.

The teams finishing third and fourth will enter the Asian playoff, with matches played in a single round-robin format.